The TBS Library

Yesterday I met with MaryBeth Ventura (4th-8th grade Learning Support Coordinator), and volunteer parent Jean Marstens and Jenny Scholten. The three of them have been doing amazing work on the TBS library in the Depot this year, and with MaryBeth about to go on maternity leave for three months, I am getting involved as the staff contact. Together MaryBeth, Jean and Jenny (who holds a Masters in Library Science) have created a three-part plan with short, medium, and long term objectives. Short term goals almost complete include reorganizing the north end of the library for younger and older readers; next steps include new signs and organizing tours for teachers and students. Some of the longer term goals already underway include labeling all books with the Dewey decimal system, considering implementation of an electronic cataloguing system to replace the clipboard sign-outs we currently use, and investigating online information databases for middle school students.

In addition to those goals, we agreed upon a few other concrete goals for this year, including creating a map of the library, making new acquisitions to promote the classroom curricula, and most importantly, creating a vision for the library. The basis for a library vision statement seemed to rest on three main ideas: giving students what they want to read, promoting the teachers' curricula, and teaching information literacy. Here's the very first draft of the vision statement, as written by Jenny:

In support of The Berkeley School's mission, The Berkeley School library seeks to

inspire, inform, and delight students as we prepare them to be lifelong learners;

to reflect and to enrich school curriculum; and to promote information literacy.

The library's mission is accomplished by:

• collection development to meet students' educational, informational, and

recreational needs.

• collaboration with teachers and administrators to provide informational materials

that support the school's curriculum and philosophy.

• orientation to library use so that students can find and use information relevant

to them.